Category Archives: Plumbing

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If you’ve had to replace your plumbing in the past, you are probably aware of how expensive and time-consuming it can get. Indeed, most replacements are inevitable when it comes to plumbing, but there are some tips you can use to make it a budget-friendly venture altogether.

It is worth noting that you’ll likely have to source for a plumbing expert to tell you whether it’s time to replace your pipes.

That said, here are some of the options you have when it comes to replacing pipes, to help you save some bucks.

Cost Efficient Tips on Replacing Faulty Plumbing Pipes:

#1. Replace as you renovate – plumbing is usually overlooked during most renovation projects, and this can be quite a costly mistake.
When remodelling a certain space at home, grab the opportunity to inspect and replace the exposed pipes when the walls are still open. By doing so, you get to kill two birds with one stone by using the remodelling experts to fix any underlying issues. Since the walls or floors are open anyway, the only additional cost you will accrue is the cost of buying the pipes.

#2. Replacing the exposed pipes – if your home has wood panelling or plastered walls, accessing the pipes buried in between can be quite difficult, costly and time-consuming.
However, you can choose to replace the exposed pipes in a utility room or basement since they are the ones prone to damage anyway. Also, these accessible systems make up for the large chunk of your piping network and hence, making it cheaper and easier to replace.

#3. Use PEX to avoid demolition – cross-linked polyethene tubing also referred to as PEX, is a flexible hose made of plastic used to limit demolition when replacing pipes passing behind walls. Similar to how electricians place wiring behind walls with minimal destruction, the same procedure can be adopted in plumbing using PEX. It is the only way to replace you in-wall plumbing without demolishing the entire walls and burning holes in your pocket while at it.

While technically you can live without hot water, nobody wants to take cold showers every day. Hot water straight from your tap is a necessity none of us want to live without, especially in the winter.

Your water heater has a life expectancy of somewhere between 8 and 12 years. It depends on use, maintenance and the number of people who use the hot water regularly. Most property owner directly reaps the benefits of a working water heater and taking it for granted.

There are some signs to watch out for that it is time to replace the water heater.

Every time you turn on the water heater it makes an annoying noise that doesn’t seem to stop. If you hear crackling, banging, pops or whining noises whenever it comes on, it can drive you nuts especially when the sound never goes away. Hearing these noises all the time usually, indicates that your water heater is about to die. Constantly having noise from the water heater all the time can indicate a buildup of minerals or that the heating element is ready to fail. Whatever the cause of the noises, it inevitably means it’s time to get a plumber to have it fixed or replaced.

The shower is always cold, or you only have hot water for a couple of minutes, the luxury of a long hot shower is gone. Cold water in the shower indicates that the water heater isn’t working properly. You usually have fair warning when the water in the shower isn’t as hot as it should be or doesn’t last longer than a few minutes. If you have consistent drops in temperature, it’s a pretty good sign that the water heater or the element within needs to be replaced.

You have dirty water come from the hot water tap. Brown or off coloured water coming from your hot water taps, it may also give off a strange metallic taste is another indication that the water heater is failing. If you check the tank and have dirty water there as well, you probably have built up. Increased sludge or sediment in the tubes, tank or hose can stop your water heater from working properly. It may not need to be replaced completely, but a plumber should look at it and clean it out.

If you have leaked water on the floor around the tank, that’s a problem. You should never have water around the heating element; puddles can be indicative of corrosion or a leak. This needs to be looked at right away before you end up with a flood.

Replacing your water heater can be pricey, but a plumbing contractor can have it done in less than a day. Watch the video below to see how easily it is done.